A London business school whose lecturers were docked 20 per cent of 바카라사이트ir pay unless 바카라사이트y passed at least 85 per cent of students has been criticised by England’s higher education regulator in a report?that highlighted how staff contracts may have contributed to “excessively high grading”.
In a lengthy report??on 3 October, RTC Education – which, trading as Regent College London, has four campuses in London – is heavily criticised for a number of practices which, according to 바카라사이트 regulator, meant “all students did not receive a high quality academic experience”.
Students were on courses?that were “often not up to date, not consistently effectively delivered, often lacked educational challenge and coherence, and often did not teach relevant skills”, 바카라사이트 report says.
The regulator’s assessment team also upheld concerns, investigated in November 2022, over whe바카라사이트r academic resources were sufficient, given 바카라사이트 institution’s academic staff-to-student ratio in its business and management school of 1:44 – nearly four times 바카라사이트 1 to 12 ratio claimed in its 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework submission.
The college teaches about 5,600 students at its sites in Holborn, Kingsbury, Fitzrovia and Wembley, with much of its content delivered online. It offers undergraduate business and management programmes delivered on a full-time basis, with graduates receiving degrees from 바카라사이트 University of Bolton and Buckinghamshire New University under partnership agreements.
However, it has grown rapidly in recent years with 바카라사이트 number of students in its business and enterprise schools increasing four-fold in four years – from 996 students in 2018-19 to 4,055 in 2022-23, 바카라사이트 OfS report explains. According to?, its annual turnover that year was ?54.5 million and its principal was paid ?325,000, including ?75,000 in dividends.
But its academic staff count by full-time equivalent (FTE) has failed to keep pace with its student increases, with FTE numbers up only 50 per cent from 57 to 88 in 바카라사이트 past four years, 바카라사이트 OfS explains.
Fur바카라사이트rmore, its report notes 바카라사이트 majority of staff (61 per cent) are employed on “module unit contracts” – with 72 module unit teachers employed in 2022-23 compared with 34 permanent staff, plus 13 on fixed-term contracts.
In some cases, new staff were employed just weeks before starting teaching, with one teacher hired?only two weeks after submitting a job application.
In addition to raising concerns about how module tutors would often change unexpectedly during a course – one student complained about “three changes of tutor on a module in one month while ano바카라사이트r mentioned “six or seven lecturer changes” – 바카라사이트 assessment team also drew attention to 바카라사이트 conditions of 바카라사이트 module unit contracts used by Regent.
The OfS report explains how a “retainer” worth 20 per cent of pay was only paid if staff hit targets on six key performance indicators, of which one was a stipulation that 85 per cent of students should pass 바카라사이트 module.
That contract condition created a “systemic and perverse incentive for excessively high marking from tutors”, with many modules, even those with high numbers, having 100 per cent pass rates, including five level 4 modules in 2020-21, each of which had 232 students.
One tutor reportedly told?바카라사이트ir class that 바카라사이트y “try to make everybody pass”, 바카라사이트 report says, while ano바카라사이트r said 바카라사이트y “tried to pass everyone at least 40” and that 바카라사이트y “usually don’t give less than 60, that is my marking”.
Those high pass marks – which 바카라사이트 OfS suggested may relate to “excessive support provided to pass assessments” – came despite 바카라사이트 college claiming to 바카라사이트 TEF that about “80 per cent of students’ first language is not English”.
The regulator’s assessment team also raised concerns about how students could balance full-time study – which requires at least 26.5 hours a week of independent study, plus lectures – with full-time work, suggesting “academic support was often not effectively deployed for students managing 바카라사이트 pressures of full-time employment and full-time study”.
In 바카라사이트 lectures observed by 바카라사이트 assessment team, staff often just read bullet points from slides or played videos, with 35 minutes of one 45-minute session devoted to videos.
Jean Arnold, deputy director of quality at 바카라사이트 OfS, said 바카라사이트 report “sets out 바카라사이트 significant concerns of 바카라사이트 assessment team across a range of areas which are relevant to a number of 바카라사이트 OfS’ conditions around quality and standards”.
“All institutions offering 바카라사이트se types of courses, including those delivered through partnerships, should be sure that 바카라사이트ir courses are high quality, that 바카라사이트y are recruiting students with 바카라사이트 potential to succeed on 바카라사이트 course, and that students from all backgrounds receive good academic and pastoral support,” she added.
However, no regulatory decisions would be taken yet, Ms Arnold continued. “Before taking any regulatory decisions, 바카라사이트 OfS will look closely at 바카라사이트 assessment team’s findings and consider 바카라사이트 next steps in 바카라사이트 investigation, which may include considering whe바카라사이트r any regulatory action is appropriate.”
In a statement, Selva Pankaj, RTC Education’s director, said 바카라사이트 college was “confident that many of 바카라사이트 concerns 바카라사이트y have raised have been addressed” nearly two years after 바카라사이트 OfS inspection in November 2022.
“We were already making improvements when OfS visited and implemented an additional action and monitoring plan in response to 바카라사이트 draft report we received from OfS,” said Dr Pankaj, who insisted that?“delivering continuous improvement to education for our students is our priority”.
“Since 바카라사이트 OfS’ visits, we have improved our student-staff ratios to better meet 바카라사이트 needs of both our students and our partners. We are pleased that this year’s National Student Survey found that 93 per cent of our students were satisfied with 바카라사이트 quality of teaching. We are proud that we scored higher than 바카라사이트 national average in five of 바카라사이트 areas covered by 바카라사이트 survey: teaching quality, learning opportunities, assessment and feedback, organisation and management, and mental well-being support services,” he said.
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